Best Of 2025

Best of Orlando 2024: Drinking + Nightlife

Image: Best of Orlando 2024: Drinking + Nightlife
Bartenders, wine, beer, cocktails, clubs and favorite area bars!

1st Place: Lucky Leprechaun Irish Pub, instagram.com/lucky_leprechaun_orlando

2nd Place: Murphy's Pub Orlando, instagram.com/murphyspuborlando

3rd Place: Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co., ivanhoeparkbrewing.com

1st Place: Lucky Leprechaun Irish Pub, instagram.com/lucky_leprechaun_orlando

2nd Place: The Wellborn, thewellbornorlando.com

3rd Place: Gravity Taproom, gravitytaproom.com

1st Place: Lucky Leprechaun Irish Pub, instagram.com/lucky_leprechaun_orlando

2nd Place: Will's Pub, willspub.org

3rd Place: Gravity Taproom, gravitytaproom.com

Downtown nightclub innovators Barbarella decamped from their Orange Avenue locale presciently ahead of the nightlife clampdown and upped sticks to Orange Blossom Trail. Their latest move, though, is to Winter Park's ax-throwing joint The Trap, formerly the (chef's kiss) Booby Trap. Barbarella mainstays like their new-wave weekend nights and goth soiree Memento Mori are back in full swing. They've even resurrected the longtime favorite (and BOO winner in its own right) Mac & Cheese. One might say this latest move has really hit the target.

2600 Lee Road, Winter Park, instagram.com/barbarellaorlando

It began as an idea shared between siblings Hai and Kelley Truong: a late-night boba-pop up that would hybridize Asian-style cafés and European late-night café culture. Only 12 people were there on opening night last summer, but since then, Starbaby has evolved into a vibrant weekly gathering hosted at Koko, owned by Tammy Truong. Thursday nights at Starbaby, under the banyan tree, is a space for fun, friendship, art, dancing, informational meetups and community gathering. Hai Truong calls it a living, breathing art project.

620 N. Thornton Ave., instagram.com/starbabyboba

In less than nine months since opening, Quicksand has become not just a welcoming and luxurious natural wine bar but a third space for many, led by Heather LaVine of Golden Hour and her dedicated team. Thoughtfully designed and offering hundreds of wines, LaVine's bar features an inviting patio with tables large enough for game nights and cozy enough for dogs to nap underneath. LaVine collaborates with some of Orlando's best food and beverage creatives, hosting pop-ups and curating regular nights of music and food, including collaborations with Kaya and EdoBoy. Come for a glass, and you'll end up staying awhile — after all, it is Quicksand.

1903 E. Colonial Drive, quicksand.wine

If you weren't around "back in the day" when vinyl was king, this far-out listening lounge and bar is the closest thing to a time machine. Alfie's HiFi has all the accoutrements of the perfect disco: mood lighting, physical media, OG wallpaper, cocktails sure to make you feel groovy — and mirrorballs that spin in time to the LPs, of course.

1300 N. Mills Ave., alfieshifi.com

There's nothing quite like a Sunday in February (one of the only tolerable months in Florida to spend outdoors) that offers live heavy metal, metalheads, some of the best beer in the City Beautiful and — perhaps just as beautiful — no cover charge, all in one place. Each year, for the last six-ish years, that's been Sideward Brewing's Sideward Sabbath, an annual event in the Milk District generally held during Orlando Beer Week. And if you haven't had any of Sideward's surprisingly stellar food menu, don't hesitate to get a taste (pun intended) of that, too.

210 N. Bumby Ave., sidewardbrewing.com

A terrifying new entrant to the local trivia scene is the Scream Queen, who hosts a chillingly high-stakes horror quiz night at Conduit. Themes of previous nights have included "wishes gone wrong" and "love beyond death," with film clips screened (screamed?) in between for good measure. The Queen, Janecka Olen, knows the devil is in the details, so she even includes on-point photo backdrops so attendees can snap a selfie to relive the fright. With themed drinks on tap courtesy of the venue, this is a great way to get the blood pumping early in the week.

6700 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, conduitfl.com, instagram.com/screamqueenpodcaster